I Need A Hero- USUK fluff
by DubzNChloe
Summary: Arthur has a secret and Alfred is determined to help him. USUK fluff with a adapted scene from Casino Royale. Collaboration with Fezzes64. Rated T for Alfred's bad language. Yaoi which is boyxboy love. All rights go to Hidekaz Himaruya


Arthur was nervous. That was about the only way to put it. Good gravy, he hated solos. He practiced the fingerings on his thigh as he waiting stiffly for his turn, glancing repeatedly to the side at his violin. Why did he do this, why was he so stupid? Oh. Yea. That's right. Feli convinced him.

"And now, for our final performance," began the announcer for the high school talent show. "Will you please welcome Arthur Kirkland!"

Alfred's grin got wider. Yeah, some people had been okay, but Arthur was going to rock it!

Arthur slowly strolled onto the stage, his expression grim. The tails of his tux flew out behind him as he took center position and inhaled, resting his violin on his shoulder, then exhaling. He hesitated a moment, letting his dull gaze flicker towards the crowd, looking for someone he knew, not expecting to come up with results.

Well, Feli was here obviously, looking like he was filled to the brim with excitement, with an enigmatic boy Arthur knew to be named Ludwig beside him. Further down there was Francis...Gah. And then...

Oh.

He was here?

Arthur prayed to whatever he could that he wasn't blushing as he noticed Alfred, the school's number one football player, and probably the most well known person in existence. For all he knew, Alfred didn't know his name, and had never even noticed him in the four classes they shared together.

Okay. It was time.

With one last breath, he began to play.

Alfred listened as Arthur began to play. He thought it was beautiful, just like the musician himself.  
Arthur's fingers seemed to fly, his muscles trained to remember this piece as he let the music flow from his heart. As one of his many favorite composers said, 'To play a wrong note is fixable. To play without passion is unforgivable.' This particular song he played was written by himself. He's found over the course of high school that no one really cared for classical music except for him, and that real music like Queen, The Beatles, U2, were being forgotten in this new Pop and Dubstep rubbish. So, the clever boy Arthur was, he decided to combine it all. He started with the familiar theme of Canon, in which everyone knew, but then automatically switched to what most people knew as the 'Nyan Cat Theme', which he wrote by ear. He smiled slightly as a couple of cheers rang out, cheers of recognition. Then it blended with the theme from Titanic, then to Adele, which practically everyone began singing to. Finally, after a couple of more cheers and whoots from the audience because of how he played, he ended with a really fast, really pretty solo inspired by absolutely nothing but his own mind, accenting with vibrato, and making his violin sing with the heart he was conveying. Finally, ending with a high note(Literally), he dramatically lifted his bow from the string and waited.  
Alfred's moronic grin spread still wider as he stood up into the complete and utter silence and began clapping, giving a standing ovation. That was awesome! Everyone else followed his lead and soon the whole auditorium was filled with the sounds of applause.

...Ah, that was pleasant. Arthur closed his eyes contentedly as the applause rang in his ears, bowing with arms out and one foot back. He smiled warmly to the crowd, but the applause made him take another bow. As he was finally free to exit the stage, he realized then that it was Alfred who began the ovation. And he was the last on to finish it. On that high note, he quickly packed his case and began walking down the hall, since the audience had exited just after he had.

"Ve!" a familiar voice shouted. "Arthur!"

"Mm?" Arthur turned, seeing his friend Feli dragging Ludwig with him. "Arthur you were amazing! And you look sharp~" he teased, giggling as Arthur scuffed his foot on the ground, blushing shyly.

Alfred stood there uncertainly. He had never talked to the blond musician before. He was pretty sure that Arthur thought that Alfred didn't know who he was, but Alfred knew exactly who Arthur Kirkland was. He thought that he was handsome and adorable.

"Arthur were you nervous?" Feli asked excitedly.

"Oh, of course!" Arthur frowned as if it were obvious. "Well, I mean, everyone was watching me, and-" he was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.

"You did wonderful, mon ami," chuckled a voice behind him. "An absolutely flawless performance!"

"SHUT UP, BLOODY FROG!" Arthur immediately shoved the boy away.

"You did great, dude. I really liked the Nyan cat." Alfred called down the hall with a huge smile as he began to walk up to the other four males. Inside he was excited. He finally had something to talk about with Arthur.  
Arthur jumped at a familiar voice and whirled once more, seeing the one person he least expected to call out to him. "Oh! Uh, th-thank you...?" he replied meekly, blushing.  
"Did you figure out how to do all that stuff by yourself?" Alfred asked, coming to a stop in front of Arthur. "That's really impressive, man!"

"Hello, Alfred." Ludwig greeted rhetorically as the fellow jock approached.

"Ve! Ciao Alfred!"

"Ahonhonhonhonhon! Salut, mon ami~"

Arthur felt terribly out of place as his three companions greeted the one boy he wished he could do the same as if he were an old friend. Although what he found weird was Alfred didn't seem to acknowledge them at all; he was focused on who his comment was aimed at. Arthur struggled not to blush.

"I-it's nothing, really," he mumbled sheepishly, a humble smile pulling at his lips. "Thank you, I appreciate it." He had no idea how he found the strength to speak formally.

"You should become professional or something! It was that awesome!" said Alfred with a grin on his face. Finally, he was talking to the one guy he actually thought was worth his time.

"Really? You really think so?" Arthur wasn't sure if Alfred was flattering him genuinely or just because that's what people like him did; make others feel special and all the while not really mean what they say. Of course, how else would he know that being a professional player was his dream? "Th-that's very kind of you to say..."

"Is it just me or is our little Arthur getting nervous~?" Francis teased, tugging at one of Arthur's flaring cuffs. "Alfred I would take it easy on him, if you know what I mean-" he was interrupted as Arthur smacked him, glaring daggers.

Alfred let out a laugh. "I was just being honest! No reason to be nervous!"  
"I'm not nervous..." Arthur mumbled defensively, yet still ducked his head in embarrassment as he felt his cheeks burn.  
"Are you blushing?" Alfred asked in a slightly teasing tone. "Dude, no need to be so embarassed haha!"

"Mm, just as a thought," Francis said lowly and seductively, earning another full-hearted smack on the head with Arthur's bow. "Well come now Feli, Ludwig, let us take our leave so mes amis may become more aquainted, no?" and with that he dragged the Italian and German away, laughing as Arthur cursed in French at him.

"Ugh." he sighed. "I don't know what his problem is," he mused to himself more than anyone else.

"He's kind of a dick." said Alfred with another laugh, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. He, Alfred F. Jones, had a gigantic, enormous crush on Arthur Kirkland. How ironic. The football player in love with the dorky musician.

But he was. In love, that is.

He had never been nervous around anyone before, but there he was, fidgeting with his T-shirt. He had never even talked to Arthur before today.

"He's a bloody wanker, that's what he is," Arthur nodded pointedly in agreement, adjusting his hold on his violin, and nervously plucking his strings almost inaudibly to re tune the already tuned instrument. He swore if he got out of this without saying or doing something embarrassing it would be a miracle seeing as how big of a crush he had on this boy...Even if he didn't know it at the time.  
"Yeah... You know, you're pretty cool, Arthur. We should hang out sometime!" Oh God. Did he just say that? Wait, what would the school think of him if Arthur Kirkland turned him down? For a date? That's how he had meant it, of course. But it didn't necessarily sound like that... He hoped.  
"...Oh, uh, sure...?" Arthur wasn't sure how to answer seeing as he'd never been asked before. "Uh, I-I mean yes! Th-that sounds n-nice!" Was it just him or were they both a little on edge? ...Haha! Nope. Alfred the Hero was never nervous. It probably wasn't even in his vocabulary. But the question sounded like something a little more...  
"Cool, how does McDonald's sound? Tomorrow after school?" Alfred asked to clarify, relieved that his question hadn't been responded to in a negative way.  
"...Um." Arthur's mind went blank. He despised McDonald's with a passion, rejecting it from his life. He never even went out to restaurants anymore because of it. On the other hand it would be terribly rude to turn down the request, so he was stuck. "...Um."  
"Or somewhere else." offered Alfred, running a hand nervously over the back of his neck. He didn't mean to try and make Arthur eat McDonald's against his will.  
"N-no, that's fine, um. Uh..." he hesitated a moment. They both looked at each other, and Arthur finally said "This is awkward." as a joke.

Alfred let out a huge laugh. "Nah, it's fine. We can go wherever you want. See you in class tomorrow!" he turned on his heel and left.

"...Oh, um, okay...Bye..." Arthur said dazedly, although Alfred was already gone. And he was alone. So he proceeded to leave, quickly packing his violin and marching out into the chilly night. He shivered, regretting not bringing another jacket, even after knowing Allistor would refuse to pick him up tonight. That meant a five mile walk. Lovely.

He watched the last car leave wistfully and flinched as a cold breeze blew, eyes widening as a snow flake landed on his nose.

Crap.

Alfred whistled the national anthem cheerfully as he made his way to his car, which was parked in the parking lot of the subway they had across the street from the school. It was awfully cold. It might even begin to snow. Alfred reflected on this as he saw a little white thing fall past his nose. Huh. A snowflake.  
"Brilliant. Bloody brilliant." Arthur mumbled, picking up his pace just slightly as a little rain fell too, stinging his exposed hands and face and dampening his hair. He decided to ignore the stoplight seeing as there was no traffic and hurried across the street, aiming for the middle school just down the road a ways. He stubbornly ignored the bright, warm light emanating from the Subway, deciding with finality that if he had to stop it would be by the school and not in a restaurant.

Alfred was driving down the road when he suddenly saw someone walking. Blond haired, wearing a tuxedo, carrying a violin. It was Arthur.

Alfred rolled down the window, slowing down and driving behind him.

"Arthur." no response. "Arthur!" nothing. Maybe he couldn't hear him? "ARTHUR!" Alfred finally bellowed.

"What the-? WAAAH-?!" Arthur started violently in surprise, having totally spaced out for a moment. "O-oh." ShootshootshootshootSHOOT- "H-hello Alfred, wh-what...?" He wasn't stuttering because he was nervous; it was because he was cold.  
Alfred chuckled a little bit. "C'mon, dude. Get in the car, I'll drive you home."  
"Wh-wha, um...O-okay." Good gravy this was awkward. But he was quite certain he could trust Alfred in that he was at least a good driver...A bunch of other possibilities of risks ran through his mind, but he found himself pulling on the handle and taking shot gun anyway, facing back so he could put his violin in the back seat. Finally, he relaxed, sighing with his eyes closed somewhat worriedly. "Th-thank you." he said softly, turning his head slightly to face Alfred. He had nothing else he could say, his eyes practically swimming with gratitude.  
"No problem, dude. You shouldn't be walking out there with no coat when it's cold like this, you could catch a cold or something." said Alfred with a loud laugh as he drove the car out of the parking lot. "Right or left?" he asked as he sat with his foot on the brake pedal. He needed Arthur's directions so he could drive him back. There was a beat of silence, during which Alfred looked up to find Arthur staring at him. "... Arthur?"  
Arthur blinked and felt his face flush again. Stars this was embarrassing, he couldn't focus for one minute! Not with Alfred showing concern for him like that. "Th-uh-ah-um, right!" he said quickly, facing forwards. "...Sorry." he added.  
"It's okay." said Alfred with a smile before turning right.  
Arthur bit his lip and rested his cheek in his hand, staring out the window so he could tell Alfred what direction to go. Although he would probably take a detour; his brothers were most likely drunk and wouldn't pass out for another hour. And he did not look forward to hiding out in his backyard until the four of them fell asleep. "Right again, towards Travis." he said as Alfred slowed at another intersection.  
"'kay." said Alfred, turning that way. The silence in the car was comfortable but Alfred would rather talk to Arthur. "So, what's your family like?"  
"...Uh, th-they're okay," he said, his voice cracking slightly. Family meant getting pushed around everyday after school and shoved for holidays. Slapped sometimes too.  
"... Are you okay? You sound upset." Inside, Alfred was panicking. No, no, no, no, he did NOT mean to ask a sensitive question.  
"Y-yea, I'm fine," Arthur said quickly. "Sh-should I have elaborated? I meant that they were not...They weren't exactly ideal, but they're there." Was he trembling...? He pulled his sleeve further over his hand so Alfred wouldn't notice.  
"Oh... Are you cold? You're shaking." Alfred said, now concerned. He still hadn't moved the car, so they were just sitting at the intersection.  
"N-no-I mean yes I'm cold but I'm fine," Arthur said softly, worriedly.  
Alfred stared at him for a bit before saying, "Okay." in a rather unconvinced tone and continuing to drive.  
Arthur swallowed thickly and said "Left," as Alfred started driving again. His eyebrows creased worriedly and he stole a glance at the boy before returning his gaze forward.  
"Okay. So what else do you like to do besides play the violin?" asked Alfred as he turned left.

"Oh, I, uh, sing, play and write music mostly because I play a lot of instruments. But I also enjoy running and writing. I speak most of the European languages fluently and that's about it." Arthur replied, trying to seem as inconspicuous as possible about it. "Um..." He shyly turned his head. "What about you?"

"Mmm... Football, I like eating, especially McDonald's." 'And looking, talking to, and hanging out with you' Alfred thought after he said that, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.  
Arthur blushed, thinking of how amazing Alfred was at football and didn't seem to mind that he liked McDonald's. Good grief, this had to be a dream...

"So, since you're so good at the violin, do you think you're gonna become professional? Because, I think you should." said Alfred as Arthur's finger indicated the direction he should go and he did so.  
"I'm not that good..." Arthur mumbled, embarrassed. "Just well informed. I would love to but I'm not sure if I could. What about you and American football? Do you plan to go somewhere with a career like that?" his question was curious, not subjective. Personally he thought Alfred was amazing at it. He, secretly watching from the sidelines at a sport he didn't even like.  
Alfred let out a loud laugh. "I can't keep getting my brains knocked around for the rest of my life. I don't know, I'm thinking about going into the army."  
"Really?" Arthur was surprised, but it was conceivable. He could imagine him in a uniform coming back from a war, a veteran and Arthur hadn't seen him in so long, and he was the first to-...Did he seriously just go there? "You know there aren't many worse ways to beat yourself senslesser, git." he chuckled, almost teasingly.  
"Senselesser?" Alfred repeated, also in a teasing tone. "Nah, but if I did that, at least I'd be doing it for the good of the people. You know, saving people. As opposed to a football."  
"That's true. Make it something worthwhile, eh?" Arthur smiled softly in agreement. "Not any of that silly American Football Brain disorder rubbish." he joked.  
"Football is pretty cool though." Alfred added as an afterthought as they drove slowly up Arthur's street. "Tell me which house?"  
"Um, the on up on the right with the red bri-ah..." his voice cracked as he saw his brothers stumbling around rather stupidly, looking angry as they searched.

Oh.

They were looking for him.

"Is something wrong?" asked Alfred, eyes following what appeared to be four drunk guys stumbling around. They looked a little dangerous and he automatically reached over and pressed the button to lock all the doors. He knew he could probably take them, but, best not to take chances.  
"A-ah, y-yea, I mean no! I mean yes, but it's fine..." Arthur mumbled. He made a move to open to door but realized Alfred had locked the doors. "Um, A-Alfred..?"

"Those guys look a little dangerous. Do you wanna drive around more or do you want to sit here or do you want me to walk you to your door...?"

"N-no, it's-" he was cut off as the ginger-haired one suddenly looked directly at him and he made a soft, rather scared noise and ducked his head. Hopefully he wouldn't recognize him in their drunken state. "Y-you don't understand, i-it's..." he heard one of them call his name and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to ignore them.  
"Do you... Know them? What's wrong?" asked Alfred, tightening his grip on the steering wheel a bit as the same one who had looked at Arthur began to drunkenly stumble towards the car.  
"Th-they're my brothers," Arthur squeaked softly as Allistor and Aiden noticed him in the car. "They probably think I'm late because they're drunk right now, and- Oh no..." now all four of them had wandered towards them.  
"... Well, shit." said Alfred as they all stood outside the car. He felt trapped, and if there was one thing he hated, it was feeling trapped.  
"Um, they can get violent if you're not careful..." Arthur informed softly. "They'll move if you inch forward, but if you can hurry and come around the corner on the next street, I can manage to sneak inside without them noticing, and then you can go."  
"Are you sure? I don't want you to get hurt." said Alfred with a frown.  
"N-no, it's alright." Tell him it's not. "They'll wear out soon, it's nothing to worry about." Tell him you're scared, and you want to drive around some more. "If I go around the back they won't notice me." Tell him they're going to find you and hurt you. "I-I'm used to this." Tell him the truth, you idiot!  
Alfred began to drive, driving around to the next street, still frowning. "Are you sure? You..." you look like you're terrified. "You seem... Are you sure you don't want to keep driving around?"  
"N-no, no! I'm fine, don't be so concer-WAAAAH!" Arthur let out a shrill cry as Allistor suddenly appeared in front of the car, causing Alfred to slam on the brakes. Arthur, face white with fear, trembled and ducked down as low as he could not wanting to see his most violent brother. "Go away...Please go away..." he begged very softly, hoping Alfred couldn't hear.

But Alfred did hear, even though it was quieter than his loud cursing about the Kirkland brother who had stepped in front of his car. He glanced over at Arthur, now concerned. Then, it clicked. "Does he... Hurt you, or something?"

"N-n-no, no, he d-doesn't..." Arthur attempted to lie once more but it was obvious this time that it wasn't true. He jumped as Allistor's hand slammed against the window, not enough to break it but enough to make Arthur start violently and lean away, almost into Alfred.

"Come on. We're getting out of here." said Alfred, tone leaving no room for argument as he drove forward, fast enough to make the drunks scramble out of the way. Well, as much scrambling as can be done by drunks. He hightailed it out of there and eventually got back out on the main road. The silence in the car was stifling.

Arthur stared at the floor of the car, ashamed of himself for not making his lies more convincing. Alfred was probably only doing this because he was a nice person, not because he honestly cared.  
Alfred drove down the main road, angry at himself for not recognizing any of these things. Like, he didn't want to talk about his family. He seemed afraid. They were all freaking alchoholics. And that guy slamming his hand into Alfred's car window had looked like he meant business. He couldn't believe Arthur had to put up with that crap and he certainly wasn't going to stand for it. If there was one thing he hated, it was people who picked on people who couldn't stand up for themselves.  
Arthur felt guilty tears filling his eyes, feeling extremely bad for making Alfred feel like he had to do this...Whatever he was doing. Crap, where was he going?! He turned his head quickly towards the window at an angle so Alfred couldn't see his face, noticing they were going down the main road. Well you couldn't get to the school from here unless he turned around so that was out...Gah. He swiped at his eyes, hoping it just looking like he was stressfully rubbing them instead of hiding it.  
"Are you crying?" asked Alfred, now in a panic. He didn't want the boy that he loved to cry. "don't cry... It'll be okay."  
"N-no, I'm not crying," Arthur said quickly. His face flushed red again in embarrassment and he looked at the floor again. "But...Wh-where...Where exactly are you...?"  
"Where are we going? No particular place. Just gonna drive around for a while. You can spend the night at my house, Mattie won't mind."  
"Wh-what!? Wh-why are you doing this?" Arthur stared in shock, eyes wide with disbelief at Alfred.  
"... Because I care? Because you don't deserve to get the piss beaten out of you by a bunch of drunk assholes? Because I can?" because I love you. "Why wouldn't I?"  
"I-I...Um..." Arthur was lost for words at Alfred's sudden outburst. He couldn't tell if the boy was angry or...what. "B-because...Uh..." he was dumb enough to actually attempt to come up with a reason.  
Annnnnnnnnd now Alfred felt bad for snapping at him. "Sorry." he apologized sheepishly as they sat at a stoplight.  
"I-it's fine." I'm used to it, Arthur almost added, but bit it back at the last second. "I-I've just never known someone who...um, shows as m-much concern as y-you." he smiled for a brief millisecond at that, but it faded just as fast.  
"Well I care. A lot." Alfred added. The stoplight had turned green but they were the only ones there so Alfred didn't go. He looked straight at Arthur. "I care a lot. I really do."  
Arthur's heart skipped a beat and his breath fluttered a moment as Alfred caught his gaze, rendering him unable to look away from those beautiful pools of ocean blue. His eyebrows creased worriedly, still thinking he was making the boy feel as if he had to do this, but he managed to swallow thickly and nodded, very subtly, very quickly. "O...okay."  
Alfred smiled gently, holding his gaze for a second before turning back to the road and continuing to drive. He was glad Arthur believed him.  
Arthur felt his heart pounding in his chest and smiled inwardly, resisting the blush that darkened on his face.  
Alfred decided it was time to get gas so he pulled into the gas station, filling up his car and thinking about what he was going to do after tonight. Meaning, yes, Arthur could stay with him tonight, and he would be happy to let him stay every night, but what about Arthur's brothers? And would Arthur want to stay with him every night?  
Arthur waited patiently in the car, wringing his hands rather nervously as Alfred stopped to get some gas. All he could think was 'Wow...That escalated quickly.' He went from hardly knowing his crush to getting to spend the night with him all in one evening. 'Not bad, Arthur, not bad at all.' he would imagine Alan, his sanest brother, saying at a time like this.  
Alfred glanced at his watch. It was about 9 PM. He got back in the car and said, "You hungry?"  
"N-no, I ate dinner already." Arthur said softly. He had to, otherwise his brothers would have made it impossible to eat at this hour. But he didn't plan to be elsewhere.

"All right." said Alfred, driving towards home.

It was silent in the car again, until Alfred softly asked, "Why don't you say anything about what your brothers do to you?"

Arthur was silent for a moment. "Because no one ever asks," he admitted softly.  
Alfred absorbed this in silence as he drove up to his house and parked in the driveway. He and Arthur walked up to the door and he pulled out his house key, unlocking it.  
Arthur wrung his hands as Alfred opened the door, allowing him to go first. He walked awkwardly inside, standing back so Alfred could lead and politely ducked his head so he couldn't look around in the nice dwelling.  
"Well, mi casa es su casa." said Alfred without any trace of a Spanish accent.  
"Um, okay." Arthur said softly, still feeling way out of place despite Alfred's friendly tone. Being from Europe, he knew quite a few languages so he understood what Alfred had said even without the accent. But again, he had no idea what to do or say next, seeing as he was the guest.

"Alfred, where have you been? You said you'd be back two hours ago." said a soft voice from the foyer.

"I was busy, dude. Mattie, this is Arthur, Arthur, this is my brother Matthew!"

"Y-you have a brother?" Arthur said, looking around trying to find this Matthew. "Oh!" He started in surprise when he realized he was right in front of him. "E-er, hello," he mumbled, embarrassed. He shook his hand as the boy smiled reassuringly at him.  
"He's gonna stay here tonight." said Alfred, flopping face first onto the sofa.

"Really? Why?" Matthew sounded curious. But before Arthur could hear Alfred's answer, his phone buzzed in his pocket and he swiftly pulled it out, startled. He turned around so he wasn't intruding in the brothers' conversation and checked the message that glowed on the bright screen.

His face went physically white.

"Oh no..."

"What's wrong?" Alfred asked immediately, nervous now. He legitimately turned white so it must be serious.

"O-oh stars...Th-they know where I am," Arthur said softly, looking at the screen which said 'We're coming.' "B-but how...?" his eyes widened in realization and he answered his own question on the spot. "Freshman year." he said quietly.

"they know where you are? How?" Alfred demanded urgently.  
"Freshman year..." Arthur repeated, his voice sounded pained. "Do you remember when the Varsity team won the championships? They all decided to celebrate their victory and...It was here." Arthur closed his eyes, looking worried. "All four of my brothers were on the Varsity team."  
"... Oh. When are they gonna get here?"  
"I don't know..." Arthur bit back a whimper. He was scared. He was terrified. It was all his fault they were coming, he should have insisted Alfred let him be. And now they were causing trouble for the boy he least wanted trouble for...This was terrible! He shouldn't have been so stupid! He bit his lip and lashed his gaze fearfully towards the window, eyes glowing with negative emotions.  
"Okay... All right... Don't worry, it'll be fine." Alfred had a plan. It wasn't a smart one, but he had a plan.  
"What...What are you going to do?" Arthur turned wide-eyed towards Alfred, who seemed rather confident despite the danger that was about to arrive at his front door.  
"You'll see." said Alfred, not worried in the least as he grabbed a coke from the fridge and began to drink it calmly.  
"Alfred," Matthew chuckled, seeming amused. "I think you're scaring Arthur. At least show a little concern, eh?" he ignored Arthur's face as he looked angry for a moment before embarrassed again.  
"Well-" Alfred began, but was interrupted by a knock on the door, which he hopped up to get.  
Arthur flinched harshly and made a move to run and hide, but resisted it and instead rushed forward to grab Alfred's arm to pull him back away from the door. "Don't answer it!" he begged. "Please, please don't answer it!"

"Hey... Calm down." said Alfred soothingly, looking into Arthur's eyes. The knocking on the door became hammering, loud and rapid. Impatient. "It'll be okay. Just let me handle it."

And before Arthur could protest again, he opened the door to face the four pissed off Kirkland brothers.

Arthur squeaked as he realized he was in full view of his brothers. He was suddenly jerked back as Matthew pulled him off to the side, away from the door. "N-no! No, Alfred-!"

"Shh, it's alright," the Canadian boy said softly. "Alfred knows what he's doing, he'll be fine."

"Anything I can help you with?" asked Alfred calmly, although inside, he was anything but calm.

"Aye, see there 'e is," the ginger one said, grinning crookedly. "I told ye, didn't I?"

"Aww ickle Arshur is all scaowwwed," one of the two twins teased, smiling evilly. "Come on home now, li'ol brother, we'll get ya riddy for bed, eh?"

"No." said Alfred firmly. He watched as four gazes fell upon him, confused at the response. "No, he's not going with you guys." he elaborated.

"WHUT DID YE SAY THERE, LAD," The Scottish one shouted angrily. " O'COURSE 'E'S COMIN' WITH US!"

"Yeeeaaa whut are ye sayin', e'es our little bro, ye can't keep 'im away from 'is loving big brothers!" said the other twin.

The fourth who hadn't spoken yet, Arthur realized, wasn't drunk. "Alan," he whispered. "Alan, Alan, help me," he begged.

"I don't fucking think that loving is when you beat the hell out of him, so excuse me when I repeat that he's not coming with you." said Alfred firmly, determined to keep calm. He had a temper and he knew it but he was set on keeping it in check.  
"Aiden, Adrian, Allistor, shut up." Alan suddenly chimed in with his familiar Welsh accent. He stepped forward, pushing Adrian away so he could face the younger boy. "You're name is Alfred, right?" he asked with a friendly smile. "I'm terribly sorry to trouble you like this, my brothers are rather, erm, stupid at this moment. Are you and Arthur...acquainted...?"  
"... We are." said Alfred.

"Mm." Alan suddenly smiled a brotherly, warm smile. "I'll leave you to it, then." he paused a moment as he turned, allowing his brothers to walk away first. "Oh, and Arthur?" he called over his shoulder.

"Y-yes?" Arthur jumped.

Alan smiled. "You forgot this," he winked and held out a bag, full of the things one might take to a sleepover.

"See, that wasn't so bad." said Alfred once they had gone.  
"..." Arthur was silent, not sure how to respond at first. He shyly looked up at the Varsity player, blinking for a moment.  
"... Something wrong?" asked Alfred, now concerned. Oh god, he didn't upset him by opening the door against Arthur's wishes, did he?  
"N-no...No, everything's fine...Better than before, actually..." Arthur mumbled, tearing his gaze away and meekly staring at the floor.  
"All right then, cool. Wanna watch a movie or something?" asked Alfred.  
Matthew sighed and shook his head, laughing at Arthur's bewildered expression. "Only you, Alfred. Only you."  
"What's that supposed to mean?!" demanded the clueless American as his brother continued to laugh at him.  
"Who else would want to watch a movie at this hour?" Matthew asked pointedly, still smiling. Arthur still looked rather shocked as he tried to comprehend the complete stupidness of the question.  
Alfred let out an embarrassed laugh, a blush tinging his cheeks pink. "Sorry."

Matthew just laughed lightheartedly and turned to Arthur, smiling. "Okay, lemme ask you a more proper question," he chuckled, getting a small laugh out of the Brit too. "Would you like to take a shower or something before we can go to bed?"

"Y-yes, please," Arthur replied softly, managing a small grin of appreciation.

"Good! See Alfred, that wasn't too hard!" Matthew teased, causing all of them to laugh.

"All right, I'll see if I can find you something to wear." said Alfred, turning and leaving the room.

Matthew led Arthur to the bathroom.

Arthur sighed softly to himself, looking around a bit. "Th-thank you," he told Matthew. "I-I've never had someone be so kind to me as you both have now...I really appreciate it." he smiled gratefully.  
"Oh, it's absolutely no trouble. Besides, Alfred must really think you're special." said Matthew with a gentle smile. "I've never seen him go to this much trouble for anything besides eating and video games. Oh, and football."  
"S-sorry, I just feel like I'm intruding, but if you say so, I-I guess..." Arthur replied shyly, smiling as Matthew nodded and left the room. He turned to the shower as he closed the door and quickly figured out how to turn it on and adjust the knob for temperature. Finally he pulled his shoes off and literally went inside the shower without taking his clothes off. Being rather paranoid he was afraid of someone walking in on him before...you know.

Alfred rummaged through his drawers, humming some song by the Beatles. He grabbed a white t shirt and some pajama pants of his that had a drawstring. Arthur was slimmer than Alfred, for sure. That was because Alfred had more muscle than the other boy, but Arthur could make it work by tightening the strings.

He walked down the hall, hearing the shower running. Oh. Was he already in? Alfred supposed, if he opened the door quietly, he could leave the clothes on the counter.

Arthur started to shed his tux jacket and unbutton his white polo as both began to get wet, but he couldn't seem to bring himself to take them fully off, so they hung just off his shoulders, revealing some of his back. He didn't even hear the door open, slowly backing against the far wall of the little area and slid to the floor, burying his face in his knees and crying. He'd had a lot of training with this to the point where his tears fell in silence, his sobs so gentle they didn't shake his frail figure, nor resound through the room. But the silence might have been a bit much.

Alfred glanced to the floor. No clothes? Also, he could hear the water continuously hitting the bottom of the porcelain tub, as opposed to the erratic rhythm it would have if one were standing under it, moving around.

Had Arthur fallen or something? He decided to look in, that way, if he was okay, Arthur wouldn't consider him a creeper, and if he wasn't, he could help the other boy.

He walked over to the shower, moving the curtain ever so slightly aside.

There Arthur sat, still clothed, although his tux and dress shirt hung loosely off his frame. He sat quietly, sobbing.

Arthur glanced up with hopeless emerald eyes, suddenly feeling frightened as Alfred peeked inside, looking surprised. His arm covered the rest of his face so all the other boy could see were his eyes half hidden by his wet blonde locks. He didn't say anything about Alfred suddenly coming in, but rather just looked down again, fully hiding his face. He listened, not hearing anything at first other than the water which seemed to get louder at each awkward second passed, nearly driving him to insanity.

Alfred didn't say anything. What could he say? So, he decided to use actions instead, and, letterman jacket, jeans, and all, stepped into the tub with Arthur and sat beside him under the continuous stream of hot water. He sat next to the other boy, facing him. He reached up and gently pried the others arm away from his face, looking into the deep emerald green with his own ocean blue.

Water dripped down his face but he didn't dare to look away, away from the boy who had so much more to him than what Alfred himself had first thought.

Arthur looked up shyly, unsurely into Alfred's eyes, completely taken aback by this gesture. He struggled for words as the water mingled with his tears, both streaming down his cheeks. "A-Alfred, Wh-why-" he was cut off as Alfred suddenly pulled him closer, gently forcing Arthur to his chest with a soft "Shh," whispered in his ear. The boy wrapped his arms around Arthur, not seeming to care he was nearly shirtless.

It was then a sob escaped Arthur's throat before he could stifle it, and he cried out, still not very loudly, giving in to his grief and sorrow that had built up over the years.

"Shhh. It'll be okay. It'll all be all right." Alfred murmured into Arthur's wet hair. Well, they were both soaking wet, actually. Alfred ran his fingers through Arthur's hair, over and over, stroking it, trying to make the other calm down.  
"M-mmnn..." Arthur was trying not to sob anymore, but managed to swallow back his last one, so he was left clinging to Alfred, to his surprise, curled up to the larger boy. His last tears had fallen, but he didn't want to move from his position in fear of losing the feeling that he was actually loved. It was odd to Arthur, that he could get that comfort from someone he hardly knew, yet not from his own kin.

Alfred was staring at the wall. Sort of. The steam had fogged up his glasses so everything was blurry right now. He focused on the trembling of the English boy in his arms as it began to die down.

Everything was silent for a moment as Arthur realized his cheek was pressed to Alfred in such a way that he could hear the other's heartbeat. So he listened, finding the sound soothing. "A-Alfred...?" his voice was weak after crying like he did, and once more he was embarrassed.  
"Uh huh?" responded Alfred, attempting to look down at the other but seeing nothing but foggy shapes.  
"Wh-why are you doing this?" this was the second time Arthur had asked the question tonight but he was hoping for a straight answer this time. He suddenly realized Alfred was looking at him and glanced up, only to see the boy's foggy glasses. 'Oh no, he can't see because it's too steamy in here...' Arthur thought, reaching up to make the temperature cooler so maybe the other could see.  
"Because..." Alfred bit his lip. Would now be a good time to tell the other about his crush? "B- because..." to say or not to say?  
Arthur blinked. Was Alfred nervous...? No, no that couldn't be. Unless he was trying to tell him...No! There was o chance of that! Arthur immediately shoved all of his hopes away and silently looked at Alfred, begging him to go on. "Because...?" he hinted.

Alfred struggled with words. How do you properly portray to someone that you're hopelessly, madly, deeply, unlike anything else, head over heels in love with them?

"Bec- cause... I... IthinkImightbeinlovewithyoubecauseI'veneverfeltthi swaybeforeandyou'reperfect." Alfred blurted out rapidly, cheeks the color of one of Antonio's tomatoes.

Arthur opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, and suddenly all he was aware of was how his cheeks burned and how he wanted nothing more than to hide his face. Suddenly he looked up to face Alfred, a small, sheepish and shy smile gracing his lips. "R-really?" he asked softly, barely above a whisper. "Y-you really do?"  
"Y- yes." Alfred felt like his face was on fire. He could feel his heartbeat thrumming as he tried desperately to calm down.  
Arthur couldn't answer at first and was overcome with a happiness he'd never felt before...If he were so bold he might call it joy. He smiled softly now, his expression still rather shy, and he moved slightly closer, almost burying his face in Alfred's jacket. "I-I do too," he murmured, barely, although he wasn't sure if Alfred heard.  
Alfred heard, just like he'd heard the terrified whisper from earlier. He pulled off his glasses, they were useless now anyways, and used his index finger to gently tilt Arthur's chin up. Wow. Even blurry, he was still the most beautiful thing Alfred had ever seen.

Arthur was probably as red as a perfect tomato right then, surprised by Alfred's actions. He didn't dare move, in fear of ruining it again and instead blinked, trying to figure out what was going to happen next. It was hard to focus, though, with those sapphire eyes glinting and glowing with emotion Arthur had never had directed towards him.

Alfred let a grin spread across his face. He could just picture the mystified expression the other boy probably had on right now. "Can I... Kiss you?"  
Arthur was taken aback a moment but he smiled anyways. Finally he nodded, very subtly and blushed again.  
Alfred let his eyes close, leaning forward and just barely brushing his lips over Arthur's, which were soft and warm.  
Arthur sighed in pure content, not daring to move as Alfred slowly moved closer, as if testing Arthur's patience. His eyes slid closed as well as he tried to stay as still as possible, however impossible it seemed.  
Alfred let his hand move so that his fingers were twined with Arthur's hair as he pressed their lips together eagerly. He knew that they should probably get out of the shower soon but it was just now getting fun.  
Arthur shifted closer, closer, looping his arms around Alfred's neck and relaxing into the kiss. Was this what bliss was? To be elated and feel only happiness? It...It felt nice, he had to admit. He almost forgot for a moment that he was still quite unpresentable with his shirt half off.

When they broke apart for air, Alfred reached over and turned off the water with a big grin.

"We should probably get to bed... Or at least get out of the shower. I brought you some pajamas." said Alfred.

"U-um, y-yes," Arthur agreed, blushing a dark shade of red as he made a move to get off of Alfred, feeling like he was invading his personal space all of a sudden. But he couldn't resist a smile, nonetheless.  
Alfred grinned at Arthur's embarrassment, standing up as soon as the other was off him. He picked up his now unfoggy glasses and put them back on the bridge of his nose.  
Arthur finally stood up as well, following Alfred out of the shower and realized the American had brought him pajamas when he'd already acquired some. "U-um, Alfred? Y-you didn't have to bring me clothes...My, er, brother gave me a pair." he said softly.

Alfred blinked in realization before grinning again and saying, "Well. I'm glad I did. Otherwise this wouldn't have happened." he gently pushed Arthur against the wall and moved closer, to whisper, "And plus, now I can... Help you get dressed." in a very suggestive tone.

"Wh-wha-?!" Arthur's face immediately flushed an even darker shade and he physically panicked, trembling again.  
Alfred let out a laugh, pulling back. "Calm down, I'm just joking." He walked out of the bathroom, pushing back his soaking wet hair with his hand as he went.

Arthur remained where he was for a moment, unsure of what to think. He leaned against the wall and stared at the door Alfred had just left, looking rather sad. Finally he picked himself up and stiffly moved over to his bag to retrieve his pajamas. He changed quickly, wanting no more delay, and rushed out of the bathroom still buttoning up his mint-green PJ shirt. Only to bump right into Alfred.

Alfred had changed into a t-shirt with the American flag and some sweatpants and was looking rather excited. "Took you long enough!" he said with a huge grin. "Come on." he said, dragging Arthur down the hall.

"Wh-wha-bu-ah-you-...okay." Arthur finally agreed, realizing that he'd completely misbuttoned his shirt. Looking somewhat annoyed, he started all over again as Alfred took him down the hallway.

Once there, Alfred threw open his bedroom door with a flourish, revealing a very messy room. Sheets rumpled, backpack thrown on the floor, along with his clothes from earlier, half drunk cans of sodas, some football trophies, and old McDonald's bags littered the floor, along with several piles of clothes, although whether they were clean or dirty was unsure.

"My room!" he said excitedly.

"I-it's...um..." Arthur tried to think of something appropriate to say. "L-lovely...?" he eventually put out, not sure if it was the right word. Because if anything it was everything but lovely.

"I don't sleep here." said Alfred with a huge laugh. "it's disgusting. I sleep here." he led Arthur out of the horrendous pigsty into a much nicer, much cleaner bedroom. "it's supposed to be the guest room but I like this better, so I sleep here. Come on." said Alfred, grabbing Arthur's hand and pulling him in.

"...Oh. It's lovely," Arthur repeated, not realizing he'd used the same word again. He smiled too, seeing as he was actually being truthful this time. But then he blinked. Why would Alfred show him to the room he usually slept in? Did he expect Arthur to take his place? In that case, where would he sleep? He really felt like he was intruding and suddenly felt awkward, taking a meek step backwards.

Alfred yawned, eyes going halfway shut. He took his glasses off and placed them on a nearby nightstand. "Why're you just standing there, dude? Come on." he said, patting the other side of the bed, indicating where Arthur should sleep.

"W-wait, a-are you-?" he frowned, unsure of what Alfred meant. However he obediently padded over and hesitantly sat, balancing on the edge of the mattress. He cast a shy glance at Alfred, who was already making himself comfortable.

"Good night." said Alfred, lying on his side facing Arthur, eyes closed and already falling asleep.

Arthur blinked in surprise at Alfred, who looked to be rather contented. "Good night, Alfred," he said softly, unable to resist a gentle smile at the boy as he slowly lowered himself into a lying position as well. He rolled over so he was facing Alfred, not closing his eyes, but...Observing.

Alfred was close to falling asleep. He could feel himself getting closer and closer to it, when suddenly, there was a loud boom of thunder and lightning lit up the room.

Arthur blinked as Alfred suddenly made a face, and frowned. He wasn't startled at all by the sudden light and noise, but him...Was he scared? He creased his brows in concern and slowly brought a hand up, gently pressing it to Alfred's cheek. "Alfred..." he whispered. When he didn't answer, Arthur became worried. "Alfred. Alfred, love, are you alright?" he asked softly, like he were soothing a child.

"... I'm... I'm fine!" said Alfred, tone full of terror. "I'll protect you from the storm, no need to be afraid!" he added, pulling Arthur to him in a quick motion, wrapping his arms tightly around the other.

"O-oh-Mmmph-!" Arthur brought his hands up as he was unexpectedly pulled into a hug, unintentionally pressing them to Alfred's chest. It took him a moment to realize what Alfred was doing. He was covering his own fear...By implying it was Arthur instead? And therefore allowing him to gain comfort by 'Protecting' him..."A-Alfred," Arthur chuckled, finding this rather adorable. "I'm not the scared one, silly...There's no need to be afraid, love. It's just a storm." he shifted out of Alfred's grasp and instead pulled the boy's face to his chest, stroking his hair. Being rather popular among children, Arthur had a lot of experience comforting others.

Alfred pressed his face against Arthur's chest, breathing in his scent. He kind of smelled like tea, actually. Another clap of thunder shook the house and lightning quickly followed, causing Alfred to jump slightly and hold on tighter to Arthur.

"I'm not afraid..." he whimpered as he trembled in fear.

Arthur chuckled again, sighing, rather amused. "It's alright to be afraid, you know," he murmured in his ear. "There's nothing wrong or funny or bad about it, it's okay."

Alfred sighed. "There is when you have to be the hero. Heroes aren't afraid of anything." he started violently as the thunder boomed again.

Arthur smiled. "Heroes can be afraid too, it's not against the law." he reminded Alfred gently. "Let someone else protect you this time around, alright love?" he pulled the boy closer as he jumped again, stroking his hair and rubbing his back soothingly.

After a moment he began to hum, a gentle tune he'd made up for whenever the children he took care of were sad or scared. It was warm and legato, sweet and loving, and it usually put them right to sleep. "...I'll be there if you fall, for I can help you fly again...Don't ever let the storm slay your angel soul inside..."

Alfred could hear Arthur's voice, and it was just as beautiful as his violin playing, if not more. He felt his eyes drifting shut, despite the storm outside. He was so close to sleep, something he hadn't been able to do during thunderstorms since he was about four. He let out a small sigh of contentment as he let his eyes close fully with Arthur's voice echoing in his ears

"And you...Will fly...Again..." Arthur finished the song just as Alfred fell asleep, smiling sleepily as his own eyelids began to fall. Eventually he too fell asleep with his new friend in his arms, relaxing and going limp with unconsciousness.

The next morning, at around seven AM, Matthew went into Alfred's room to wake him up.

"Alfred." he said softly. "It's time to..."

He trailed off, mystified as to what the maple was going on. There Alfred was, with Arthur, in bed, tangled up together and sleeping soundly.

"Mmm..." Arthur sighed, smiling in his sleep. He was snuggled close to Alfred's chest, for a moment. As soon as he heard Matthew's voice, his eyes fluttered open, and he sat up rather quickly.

"O-oh, good morning, Matthew..." he said rather dazedly.

"Um, uh, er... I'll... I'll just come back later..." said Matthew, a bright blush painting his cheeks as he made haste to get out of the awkward situation.

Alfred stirred a bit, murmuring, "I'm awake, I'm awake." all the while holding tighter to Arthur.

Arthur smiled down at Alfred. "Take your time, love," he teased quietly.

"Hm?" muttered Alfred, prying his eyes open only to see Arthur. "Good morning..."

Arthur chuckled and patted Alfred's head. "Good morning, love." he replied in amusement.

"Wh-what time is it?" asked Alfred with a yawn.

Arthur glanced at the clock, and blinked in surprise. "Oh dear..." he turned around to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "It's already Seven. I feel like I'm going to be late for something..." he added with a yawn.

"Nah, it's Saturday. Don't you ever sleep in?" asked Alfred, honestly curious.

"..." Arthur was silent for a moment, that being a rather touchy subject. He knew he brought it up himself and mentally smacked himself for doing so. He awkwardly faced away from Alfred and wrung his hands. "I, um, no. No, I don't." he replied softly.

"What's wrong?" asked Alfred, cocking his head to the side rather like a puppy.

"...Mm...N-nothing! Nothing!" Arthur suddenly insisted, as if coming out of a daydream. "It's fine, I'm just not used to sleeping in..." ...Yea, 'cause his brothers would yank him out of bed if he didn't wake up before them at the crack of dawn.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me." said Alfred with a smile, kissing him on the cheek before standing up, stretching, and exiting the room, heading downstairs for some Canadian-made pancakes.

Arthur immediately flushed a bright red and rubbed the back of his head. Then, after an awkward moment, he realized he should probably get up and reluctantly stood, following Alfred seeing as he didn't quite know his way around the house. He smelled something really nice downstairs and smiled optimistically as he headed downwards.

Matthew blushed a little bit upon seeing his brother and Arthur in the doorway, but smiled gently anyway and handed them the pancakes he had already made before turning back to the stove.

Alfred eagerly grabbed a bottle of syrup and took the said food items to the table with a huge grin.

Arthur stepped backwards slightly in surprise. "This looks amazing, Matthew," he complimented, looking a little like he felt as if he was taking too much. But he eventually accepted it seeing as both the brothers were eating more than he was anyway and sat down at the nearest place at the table across from Alfred. He couldn't help but smile at Alfred's childishly moronic expression as he waterfalled the syrup on the pancakes, probably putting more of than than the actual meal.

"I love pancakes!" Alfred announced with a gigantic grin. "But not more than burgers. HEY MATTIE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU SHOULD DO YOU SHOULD MAKE BURGER FLAVORED PANCAKES!" yelled Alfred, quite possibly waking up the entire neighborhood.

Both Arthur and Matthew started laughing at this, trying not to though as Alfred shouted and waved his fork around like a dork, making a complete show of eating this preposterous meal. Matthew struggled to not fall out of the chair and Arthur buried his face in his hands, laughing so hard tears had begun to form.

Alfred was slightly confused as to why they were laughing, but joined in anyways.

Arthur finally sat up, revealing his eyes were rather wet and he looked almost sad with his laughter. He wiped vainly at his eyes, not really erasing much of the tears. "Good gravy, Alfred..." he breathed. "You are hilarious!"

"haha thanks! But... I was being serious." said Alfred with a huge grin.

"Pfffft, Hahahahahaha! O-oh stars- hahahahahaha!" Arthur was struggling to breathe. Of course he was serious, he thought with a grin.

After they had all finished eating, Matthew retreated to his bedroom.

Arthur and Alfred were alone.

"So... Guess what?" asked the American with a silly grin as he and Arthur sat on the couch.

"Mm? What's that?" Arthur turned his head towards Alfred.

He scooted closer, until his thigh was pressed up against Arthur's. "I love you."

Arthur's eyes widened and his face flushed immediately at the contact. Embarrassed and shy, he glanced away and said "I love you too," very softly, barely breathing it.

Alfred let out a laugh and moved his hand up to cup Arthur's face before leaning in and connecting their lips.


End file.
